‘West Midlands just called in Sarah’s car. The fire brigade were called to a vehicle fire in West Heath at four this morning. Totally burnt out. The plates were missing. They ran the engine’s serial number and got us via the lease hire.’
‘Did they find anything inside?’
‘A body type anything, no. Forensics are waiting for our lead. I gave them context, they’ll get a proper look this afternoon when the Chief signs it off.’
‘We already knew the twelve-hour gap wasn’t going to bring anything good.’
‘Yeah, I know.’
They both fell quiet, processing the extra information.
‘You know what?’
He looked up enquiringly.
‘Sarah Sawacki’s car tells us Simon isn’t working alone.’
He sighed. ‘To be expected. There’s usually some other misguided individual lurking in the background.’
‘So where to first, boss?’
‘The beginning. Dazzle me, Helen.’
‘Right.’ She pulled across her notepad, clicking her pen. She had thought this through while waiting for sleep the night before. ‘Our first port of call has to be opportunity. She had to be targeted.’
‘Not a desperate predator and a random child?’
She shook her head. ‘This was planned and methodical. Someone knew a lot about her.’
‘How?’
‘A friend of Andrea’s? Possibly of the family. Although judging from Brian Dunstan’s statement the mother can’t know what goes on while Andrea’s here, or she’d never let the girl come back. He’s hardly at home.’
Boer moved with the intention of retrieving Brian’s statement but his stomach convinced him otherwise. ‘Who took his statement?’
Ferreira plucked it from the pile and handed it to him. ‘Warren and Natasha. They said he was a mess, aggressive as well.’
Boer looked through the transcript. ‘I’m not surprised, I’d be too if my daughter was missing.’
‘No, a mess like in what he wore, what he was like. We need to talk to him.’
‘We do. When did you last drive to Northampton?’
‘Northampton?’ she said, surprised. ‘Ricky and I went earlier in the year, it took about ninety minutes. You want to talk to the mother first?’
He nodded. ‘Nobody will know Andrea better, what she’s like and who her friends are. Who else might have known her routine. We find out what the mother knows about Andrea’s visits to Hambury and it’ll give us a better perspective on Brian. The mother gave Andrea her own surname and not Brian’s, you know that?’
She shook her head, finishing the last mouthful of her muffin before replying. ‘I’ll arrange an interview with Brian’s ex here and get the duty sergeant to chase up the Delamere CCTV, it should be in Reading by now.’
‘They’re probably waiting for the Chief to sanction Sunday overtime.’ Boer failed to keep the frustration from his voice.
Ferreira was used to this when it came to Boer’s relationship with CI Anne Darling. She gave his untouched muffin a predatory look. ‘You going to be OK in a car for three hours? That’s a long time and you’ve already put a day’s shift in.’
‘To the cause, Helen. There’ll be less traffic on a Sunday. Should be quicker. I want to check out the stepfather as well. If I sleep in the car, all the better. I certainly wouldn’t at home or here.’
She stacked loose papers and slid them into a drawer, checking for her keys and phone. ‘We’ll get Brian Dunstan picked up on the way back.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ He eased into his jacket, completing a similar check for his keys. He clasped the case file under one arm and his tea in his free hand. ‘Would you like my muffin, Helen? I’m afraid I’m not hungry.’
‘No, I’m fine Fran, you eat it. You could do with the calories, I couldn’t.’
‘Helen, take it, I’m not hungry and you probably didn’t get breakfast.’
She waited a beat and then took it. ‘Only because I’m following direct orders, you understand.’
As they walked across the car park a thought suddenly occurred to Boer. ‘Did you have anything planned for today?’
Ferreira shook her head and smiled. ‘After last night I cancelled everything including church, Tesco’s, ironing and trash TV.’
‘Your dedication is commendable. How is Ricardo?’
‘Lonely.’
‘Really? I’m sorry, Helen.’
‘Don’t be, Fran, I was only joking. Ricky probably won’t realise I’m missing until he gets hungry, the fridge is full so that won’t be until four at the earliest. He’s on the home straight for his PhD.’
‘What’s he doing this time?’
‘Industrial Psychology.’
‘Wasn’t that what he did last time?’
‘No, part of his masters was Cognitive Psychology, we did it together. He’s focusing on engineering now. His plan is world domination and five children.’
‘Five!’
‘What can I say, we’re both Catholic. Anything under four is considered a poor show.’
TWENTY-NINE
Adam took Brian’s instructions with a nod and walked away, merging with the crowd. Brian waited and looked around. Delamere was busy. The car park was full of four-by-fours and family cars, camper vans and low-lying coupés. Inside it was even busier. People were everywhere.
Brian felt good, the cutting pain across his back now suppressed to a needling ache, although wearing Adam’s hand-me-downs he felt like a dog in a collar for the first time. He checked to make sure Adam had not turned back then stepped across the concourse to a door marked
Staff Only.
He tried the handle but it was locked, so he knocked and waited, not expecting it to open although you never knew. It stayed closed. So he tracked back outside and around the building, stepping from the pavement over shrubs and through shingle. There was always somebody out back and today was no exception.
The guy was big, once he might have been muscled big, now it was more Humpty Dumpty. He was wearing a neatly pressed white shirt with dark shoulder loops, a matching tie held in place by a golden pin, the shirt neatly tucked into dark belted trousers. Brian wondered at that; if you were overweight and took the time to look smart, surely you would take the time to lose a bit of weight.
The guard looked up, took a last long drag on a half-finished cigarette and moved back inside. Brian caught the door just before it closed. He affected a polite, enquiring tone.
‘I wondered if I might trouble you with some questions.’
The guard stopped as he reached for a door opposite, turning without moving the lower half of his body. ‘If you’re from the local press you’re wasting your time. Nothing’s happened here.’
‘I’m not from the press.’ Brian stepped fully into the small space, taking a quick look at the gold badge on the guard’s chest.
‘I just need a minute of your time, Steve, that’s all.’
The guard’s eyes followed the door as it swung closed behind Brian and the lock clicked. The small room was now lit by a dim bulb above. ‘You’re not allowed in here. Now you’ve gone and let the door close. It can only be opened from inside the control room.’
‘Is that a fact?’ said Brian. ‘Maybe we could have a quick chat then, just as long as it takes you to get the door open. Then I’ll be gone.’
‘You can’t come inside. We have our security systems in here. Wait there.’
The guard pulled a chain from his pocket, shuffling keys. Finally he pulled the door open and backed through, warily watching Brian, who waited until the door was almost closed then took one long quick stride. He wrenched it open, immediately stepping through and slapping both hands hard on the guard’s fleshy chest, forcing him backwards, off balance, feet working double time to catch up. After that it was simply a matter of maintaining momentum, marching into a brightly lit room. For a moment Brian worried Steve might go straight through the partitioned wall and sprawling across the concourse. The wall bowed, a two-way mirror shimmered and Steve came to a stop as a thin man in a similar uniform leapt up from his chair.
‘What the fuck!’
Brian angled himself between the door and the two men. ‘Now keep cool there guys. I’m not here to hurt anyone or cause trouble. I will though if you start fucking about. I’ve a few questions and I’ll be on my way.’
The second guard was young, wearing an oversized uniform. His big eyes glared out from beneath a black turban. A silver name tag stated his name was Sachgian. His voice was high pitched and edgy.
‘All I gotta do mister is press that button there and the police will come running, then we’ll see about some questions.’ He looked meaningfully at his desk.
Brian smiled widely back at him. ‘You go for it.’
The young guard’s body swayed and his expression shifted to uncertain. Brian took a quick glance around the room and then from one guard to the other.
‘You’ve got a lot of kit in here. I take it those screens are recording everything that happens?’
Both guards blinked in unison and then Sachgian answered. ‘It’s not the screens that do the recording, they just shows the pictures.’
‘Is that right, so where’re the tapes from last night?’
The guards both blinked again. Steve answered.
‘The police, we gave the recordings to the police.’
‘That so?’ Brian took a step towards Steve.
‘Yup, s’pect you could ask them, I’m sure they’d lend them to you.’
‘S’pect they would, Stevie boy, especially if they keep shop like you two slackers. Now tell me, what do those boxes under the tables do?’
‘They’re computers,’ Sachgian answered.
The two-way mirror bowed as Steve straightened his shirt and rearranged his belt. ‘And there’s nothing on them you’re getting your hands on. We’re just going to stand here and wait. Let us know when you want to leave and we’ll show you out. We’ll then hand the CCTV of you to the police.’ He nodded over Brian’s shoulder. ‘If you feel like getting a bit rough that works as well, if you could be so kind as to hit me first. I’m not allowed to initiate force.’
Brian re-appraised Steve and took a step back, looking over his shoulder at a camera mounted above the door. He turned back. ‘You know, I came in here being all polite and all you guys had to do was answer a few questions.’
‘We’re answering no questions. Not to you.’ Steve said.
‘Is that so, you fat fuck, you and I both know that camera is nothing but a toy.’
‘If that’s what you’d like to think, feel free. Makes no difference to me.’
‘I know that camera’s just for show, Stevie boy, because you guys don’t want anybody knowing what you get up to here. I know a bunch of guys like you. They spend their lives cooped up in holes like this. It’s why I was being polite, they’re mostly OK guys. But they’re always scheming to make a few extra quid, just can’t help themselves in a place like this.’
Both guards glared back at him.
‘So what is it, knocked off DVDs? A camera in the ladies? Maybe you’re on a retainer, looking after the girls working the hotel. Recreational drugs on the side? There’s always something and I couldn’t care less what it is. All I have is a few questions, then I’m gone and you’ll never see me again.’
‘What do you want to know?’ Steve drew in a long breath and blew it out hard, launching himself towards Brian with one large arm arcing around and upwards, a silver knuckleduster clasped in his hand.
On the whole Brian considered it an impressive move, no over-emphasis by moving his legs or dropping a shoulder. All the power came from balance. With the addition of the knuckleduster, it was a sure-fire lights out Brian Dunstan. Except Steve’s problem, despite his technique, was generating power and disguising the movement. The energy rippled across all that fat and gave Brian all sorts of time to react. He went passive, stepping back and sideways, deflecting the blow with his open palm. The impact forced Steve’s hand open, sending the knuckleduster flying over Brian’s shoulder and clanging noisily off a desk and wall and pin-wheeling back into the air. By the time it thumped onto the floor he had wrenched Steve’s arm around and turned it back on itself, the pain forcing him to the ground. Brian gave Sachgian a completely unnecessary back-off stare and focused his attention on Steve, now gasping and scrabbling for leverage against the floor and wall.
‘Now look here Steve. This is not what I want. I admire your attitude but I repeat, I’m not here to hurt you or ruin what you’ve got going. So, are you going to stop fucking me about because next time I won’t be so gentle.’
Steve nodded and patted the ground like a defeated wrestler, rolling on the floor as Brian released him. He slowly heaved himself up with the help of a chair and immediately brushed himself down.
‘You’re not a nice person, you know that?’
‘Yeah, well, thanks for the scoop. Now sit in that chair and don’t go making any sudden movements.’ Steve stepped over to his desk and sat down.
‘Now are you two going to answer a few questions?’
Steve nodded slowly.
‘Good. For starters I suspect you guys spent a lot of time today talking to the police.’
Steve nodded at Sachgian. ‘He has. I did the early shift yesterday.’
Brian stepped over to Sachgian who looked at him fiercely for a handful of seconds and then stared down at his feet. ‘What were they asking about?’
‘They…they wanted to know if there’d been any disturbances. What coverage our cameras have. Said they were looking for a woman and a young girl.’
‘Did they?’ Brian looked out through the two-way mirror, looking for Adam as Sachgian continued.
‘Yeah, they wanted copies of everything we had on the car park and inside from five last night to midnight. We had a couple of pickpockets doing the rounds as well.’
‘Part of an organised crew?’ His attention back on the young guard.
‘Nah, we saw them once last year and twice this month. Only difference was they tried taking this woman’s bag, some passing beefcake came to her rescue. We never saw no young girl. Not one with the woman. The police were right interested in her, wanted footage of everything, took up almost a whole DV…’ His mouth clamped closed.
‘DV what?’ Brian asked, unfolding his arms.
Sachgian looked sideways at Steve, then fixed his gaze on the wall behind Brian. Brian took a good look around the room, the shelves and stacks of plastic cases.